We believe the fraudsters are using a large volume of random combinations of people's names and common domain names (e.g. hotmail.com) by trial and error to produce potential addresses for emailing.

If you have provided Nationwide International with your e-mail address in the past, be assured that we have not shared it with anyone.

They didn't. Fraudsters send large volumes of e-mails to random e-mail addresses in the hope of, by chance, targeting Nationwide International customers. This view is supported by the number of non-Nationwide International customers who have also received fraudulent e-mails.

If you have clicked on the link, a pop up window may appear asking you to enter your Internet Banking sign-on information. This window will appear in front of the Nationwide International website, or something that resembles the Nationwide International website. Please be aware that this is fraudulent attempt to gain access to your sign-on information and the window should be ignored and closed immediately.

There have been cases where the purpose of the phishing e-mail was not to gather personal details about the recipient but was intended to act as a delivery mechanism for malicious software such as Trojans. The Trojan can be delivered to the user's PC either when they view the e-mail or click on the link contained in it and view the web page that opens.

E-mails which fall into this category are frequently very badly written, almost to the point of being comical.

The fraudsters hope that the recipient will forward this e-mail to their friends to show how un-intelligent the e-mail is. What the recipient and his/her friends don't realise is that the joke is on them, as all of the PCs are likely to be infected by the malicious software hidden behind the e-mail.

Nationwide International will never request confidential information or security details in an e-mail. If you are concerned your personal information may have been compromised in any way, please call + 44 (0) 1624 696000 between 8.00am - 5.00pm (UK time) during working days.

If you have entered your sign-on details into the pop up window:

• Change your sign on details immediately (memorable data and your passnumber). To do this, sign on to the Internet Banking service, click on preferences and use the link on the left-hand side.
  
• Send us a message from inside the Internet Bank service. This is secure.
  
• Monitor your accounts for unusual activity and report any suspicious activity to us immediately by calling + 44 (0) 1624 696000 between 8.00am - 5.00pm (UK time) during working days.

We have designed the Internet Banking service to only allow transfer requests to destinations that you have already pre-designated in writing or by cheque made payable to you at your home address.

We continue to advise customers to:

• Keep your data secure
• Install anti-virus and personal firewall software
• Keep your browser and operating system up to date
• Be vigilant when using Internet cafés

We will continue to closely monitor any activity that could lead to fraud and will keep members informed of any potential threats as they arise.

We at Nationwide are doing all we can to prevent potential fraud by working closely with Association for Payment Clearing Services (APACS), the National Hi Tech Crime Unit (NHTCU), British Bankers Association (BBA) and the Financial Services Industry. We will continue to closely monitor any activity that could lead to fraud and will keep members informed of any potential threats as they arise.

We would remind anyone using the Internet Banking service to keep their memorable data and pass number confidential. We also encourage customers to install and maintain up-to-date anti-virus software. In addition, personal firewalls and up to date browsers can reduce the likelihood of online fraud.

Nationwide International will never request confidential information or security details in an email.

If you do receive an e-mail that seems to have been sent from Nationwide International asking for your personal banking details, passnumbers, passwords, or you are suspicious in any way, please delete it immediately. Do not call any telephone number or action any request in the email.

Yes the Internet Banking service is secure. We use 128-bit encryption (this technology scrambles the data relating to your account to ensure that your information cannot be read by anyone else) and are constantly updating our technologies in line with new security measures. Our Internet banking promise is available here for your peace of mind.